Mission, Vision & Values

At Metropolitan Community Church / United Church of Christ in the Valley, a Christian Church originally founded to serve the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered community, but welcoming of heterosexual folks, we recognize EVERY human as a beloved child of God. Through the example of Jesus the Christ, and creatively led by the Holy Spirit, we know God’s table is without boundaries — an inclusive spiritual and prayer-centered community of love, peace-making, and compassionate care.

We are a House of Prayer for all people and welcome everyone on their spiritual search and journeys. Our communion table belongs to God alone, and all God’s children are welcome to our table. We do not place any barriers, walls, doctrines, or politics around God’s invitation to table. This models our community life. Simply stated; We believe in God’s Radically Inclusive Love for all.

As a dual-affiliated Church; MCC/UCC in the Valley practices these values:

Extravagant Welcome:

No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you
are welcome here.

Because we believe in extravagant welcome, we insist that God’s
table is open, not closed, and God’s gift and claim in baptism are
irrevocable…

We demonstrate this through public professions of our identity and
purpose: multi-racial, multi-cultural, open and affirming,
accessible to all.

We advocate justice for all as an extension and expression of faith.

We are open to new ways of being church and forming Christian
community.

We affirm that cultural differences expand our ability to welcome
more people.

We strive to keep our perspective global in our partnership with
people of faith around the world.

Radical Inclusive Love:

We practice a church without walls, welcoming all who respect the peace of our sanctuary and the diversity of people who image and carry the likeness of God within themselves. God’s inclusive love values all human beings: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Intersexed, Heterosexual, Leather Folks, those with physical challenges, and all others. We have interpreters for the hearing impaired; our facility is wheelchair accessible.

Hospitality:

Our House is a House of prayer for all people. Our roots are embedded in two practices of Jesus: open fellowship at table and the absence of boundaries that discriminated against particular people and outsiders. Our doors are open to you. We welcome several non-Christian communities of faith into our home on a regular basis.

Community is Our Middle Name:

All people are God’s beloved. We are a beloved community, grounded in promoting spiritual health, compassionate care, friendship, and well-being. We recognize our belovedness with God as the foundation for uniting us as a faith family to build community and assist friendships to flourish. We do love our game nights, movie nights, and other occasions to have fun.

Alive and Green:

Several years ago, we made the Earth a member of our congregation. It began our journey to show respect the Earth by becoming a Green Church with the installation of solar panels and a recycling program and the reduction of our carbon footprint. Ecology is at the heart of our Christian faith. Join us in our Earth care ministry to help others to fall in love with God’s Earth and all life. We are committed to grow our Earth ministry, and our community is pet friendly, following the model of Francis of Assisi. Come and meditate in our garden.

Social Justice and Compassionate Care:

We take serious the prayer of Teresa of Avila, “Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours; Yours are the eyes through which to look out, Christ’s compassion to the world; Yours are the feet with which Christ is to go about doing good; Yours are the hands with which Christ blesses humanity (all life and the Earth).” Participate in our program to feed the homeless in North Hollywood. We provide food and other necessities for the hardship of living on the streets. Our church knitting circle knitted over 100 scarves for the homeless during the winter. We are, in process, becoming an immigrant welcoming church in the United Church of Christ.

Spiritual Transformation:

Gandhi said, “We must become the change that we seek.” Our mission — to be “an inclusive spiritual and prayer-centered community of love, peace-making, and compassionate care” — is grounded in spiritual practices, meditation, and prayer that we offer to our members and friends..

Coloring Outside the Lines:

We have discovered the Holy Spirit as Trickster and Mischief Maker, the Companion to all life, and a Midwife to birth the new. We attempt to practice a little mischief for God by following the Spirit. We spread the message of God’s radical inclusive love through web broadcasting, promoting the arts, witnessing to love, and going where few churches dare to go.